In an electrical connector assembly comprising mating electrical connectors and having a power or signal circuit and a ground circuit, it is desirable that the ground circuit should be made before the power or signal circuit when the connectors are mated and that when the connectors are unmated the power or signal circuit should be broken before the ground circuit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,230 teaches that a make-first-break-last facility may be provided by making ground pins of a pin header longer than signal pins of the header so that the ground pins engage ground contacts of a mating connector, before the signal pins engage signal contacts thereof. A similar connector assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,329 but in which, ground plates instead of ground pins are provided, these ground plates having outwardly bowed contact surfaces at their mating ends. U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,324 discloses an electrical connector assembly in which a connector mounted on a circuit board has signal contact springs for mating with complementary contact elements of a mating connector, similarly mounted on a circuit board. A planar grounding blade projects beyond the signal contact springs for mating with a grounding contact of the mating connector. The grounding contact consists of a contact spring having a bowed contact surface engaging a flat plate, the grounding blade being insertable between the bowed contact surface and the plate. U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,926 discloses an electrical terminal comprising a flat plate and a contact spring extending from a forward edge of the plate and being bent back rearwardly to form a loop. A tongue projects from the forward edge of the flat plate through a slot in the contact spring and is soldered to a printed circuit board. French Patent No. 1,374,648 discloses a receptacle contact for receiving a contact blade. The receptacle contact comprises a rearward base from which extend forwardly, first and second contact springs having bowed the contact surfaces for engaging opposite faces of the blade. The first contact spring is in the form of a cantilever arm, the second contact spring comprising a pair of spring arms extending from the base, one on either side of the first contact spring. The spring arms of the second contact spring are connected at their ends by a strap. The contact surfaces of the second contact spring are formed on the spring arms thereof and so are divided by a slot defined by the spring arms of the second contact spring. The slot is substantially narrower than the contact blade throughout its length.